The beauty of friendship
by doc boy
Summary: After moving to the Kanto region, May finds herself in the same classroom as Ash and they quickly become friends. What will become of this said relationship? Will they become more than just friends or will remain friends forever? Read to find out...
1. Chapter 1 and so it begins

The beauty of friendship

I do not own Pokémon

His name was Ash Ketchum and he was twelve years old. He lived in the Kanto region and went to the Pokémon trainer school in his home town of Pallet. Today he would be starting fourth grade. He walked into his new classroom as cheerful as ever. One of the best things about the first day of school is getting to choose your new seat. As it happens he was the first one there so he sat at the front of the class waiting for school to start. After a while some of his friends showed up.

"Hey Joey." He said and got up and gave his friend a hug.

"How was your vacation?"

"Was great. My family and I went to see the radio tower in Vermilion City."

"That's so cool! I've always wanted to go to the radio tower. What's it like there?"

"It's pretty neat. A lot of radio equipment."

Ash chuckled.

"Yeah, it being a radio tower it makes sense."

"Yeah. How was your vacation?"

"Was nice. My mother and I went camping in Viridian Forest. My Pikachu was ecstatic."

"Good for you Ash."

He nodded.

"Yeah."

After a while, Ash sat back down as the classroom began to fill up. Eventually the class was almost full except for the one seat next to him. Then a brown haired girl with a V shaped haircut entered the room rather timidly. She walked up to Ash.

"Excuse me, is this fourth grade A?"

"Yes it is." He answered.

"May I sit here?" she asked rather bashfully.

"Be my guest." He said with a smile and she sat down.

"I'm Ash Ketchum." He said and extended his hand to shake hers.

"May Maple." She said kindly and shook his hand.

"I don't recall seeing you in our class last year. Are you new?" He asked.

"Yeah. My family and I just moved here from the Hoenn region and I go to school here now."

"Cool! I've never been to the Hoenn region. Is it nice there?"

She nodded.

"Very nice. Lots of cool Pokémon. I also had a lot of friends there too…" she trailed off and lowered her head sadly. Ash looked at her sympathetically.

"Do you have any friends here in Kanto?"

"No, I just moved here yesterday."

Ash smiled.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find friends here just the same."

"Yeah…" she sighed sadly. Ash frowned at her sadness. He didn't like seeing people so gloomy. So he reached for his pack and took out a chocolate bar his mom packed for him. He opened the wrapping paper and split it in half and offered her one of the pieces.

"Here." he said. She looked at him. He gave her a wide smile.

"What?" She asked in surprise.

"Chocolate. It has sugar in it. It'll help cheer you up."

She smiled sweetly at him.

"Thank you." she said and took the chocolate from him and ate it. Once she swallowed, she smiled again feeling better.

"Thanks Ash."

"You're welcome."

A while later, the teacher walked in and read the names of all the students. Once she was done, she began talking about the strengths and weaknesses of normal type Pokémon. Due to the fact that they hit it off pretty well in the morning, Ash and May ate lunch together and then played catch in the yard during recess. They then parted at the gate at two o'clock that afternoon and went their separate ways home…

To be continued…

So this is just an idea I was toying with, let's see where it goes. Hope you liked it.

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	2. Chapter 2 home coming

Chapter 2 home coming

Ash came into the house with a big grin on his face.

"Mom! I'm home."

His mother appeared out of the kitchen.

"Welcome home sweetie. How was your first day at school?" she asked as she kissed him on the forehead.

"It was great. I made a new friend."

"Really? What's his name?"

Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"Actually, she's a girl, mom…"

She seemed intrigued by this.

"Oh. Well that's new. Is she nice?"

"Yeah she's very sweet. She just moved in from the Hoenn region yesterday. She hadn't got many friends yet."

"She has one." said Delia and Ash chuckled.

"Yeah I suppose that's true…"

"That's one of your good traits. Always looking out for your peers." she said happily and Ash chuckled.

"Yeah…" he said and she smiled.

After a short pause Ash decided to change the subject.

"Hey Mom have you seen Pikachu?"

"Yeah he's in the yard."

"Great. Thanks." he said and headed for his backyard. He found Pikachu sleeping on the grass curled up in a ball. Ash extended two fingers and began rubbing him beneath his chin.

"Cha…" he cooed in his sleep till he woke up and saw his friend sitting beside him.

"Pi? Pika! Pika pi!" he cheered and scampered up to his shoulder and nuzzled his buddy's head.

"Hey Pikachu. Have you been napping in the sun this whole time?"

"Pika…" the mouse blushed bashfully and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well that's no good. We don't want to get fat again do we?"

"Pika…" he shook his head in the negative. Ash smirked.

"Come on, let's go for a walk. It'll give us both some exercise."

"Pika!" agreed the mouse and Ash chuckled as he jumped off his shoulder and walked alongside him. On the way out they passed by Delia.

"Are you going somewhere Ash?"

"Yeah, Pikachu and I are taking a little walk. He could use the exercise."

"Okay. Just be sure to be back by nightfall. Dinner should be ready by then."

"Okay Mom." he said and turned to leave.

He exited his house and enjoyed the afternoon air. He turned to his left towards Professor Oak's lab. On the way, he passed by the house of his old friend Richie who moved away a few days ago. A few days ago? Wait a minute…

 _"I just moved here from the Hoenn region yesterday."_ May's voice echoed in his head.

 _"She my neighbor…"_ he thought and chuckled out loud and kept walking.

Meanwhile inside May's house…

May was feeding her Torchik some Poke food.

"I am so glad I chose to sit next to Ash today. He's such a nice guy. It's already the first day of school and I already made a friend. Isn't that great?"

"Tor! Torchik" cheered the bird and hopped in her place.

A while later her parents got home from work.

"Hey May, how was school?" asked Caroline and kissed her daughter on the cheek and her father gave her a hug and ruffled her hair a bit.

"It was great! I already made a new friend." she beamed happily.

"My, that was fast…" said Caroline.

"Who is she?"

May squirmed.

"Actually he's a boy…"

Caroline grinned.

"My, discovering boys are we?" she teased.

"Mom it's not like that!" groaned May.

"Just kidding dear."

"Right."

"So what's his name?"

"His name is Ash."

"Ash what?"

"Ash Ketch… hey look! There he is!" she called out after she saw him through the kitchen window walking home from Professor Oak's lab. She ran out.

"Hey Ash!" she called out.

"Hmm?" he turned around to see her and smiled.

"Hey May. How's your new house?"

"It's nice. A little larger than my old one."

"Larger is good."

She smiled.

"Yeah."

"Torchik!" came a voice.

"Huh?" said Ash as the Hoenn Pokémon hopped towards them.

"Is that your Hoenn Pokémon?"

"Yes it is. Say hello Torchik."

"Torchik! Torchik!" she beamed and hopped up and down in her place. Ash got down on his knees to pet its head.

"Aren't you a cute little Pokémon…." He said and she cooed and nuzzled onto his arm and he chuckled. Then Pikachu showed up.

"Pika! Pika pi!" he squeaked.

"Hello. Is this your Pokémon Ash?"

"Yes it is. Say Hello Pikachu."

"Pika! Pika pi." beamed the mouse and waved at May as she chuckled. Then he noticed her little companion. After making eye contact Pikachu and Torchik started playing tag.

"Well they're hitting it off okay." said Ash.

"Yeah, looks like you found your first friend here in Kanto Torchik."

They chatted for a few seconds more until Caroline walked out to greet him.

"Hello, you must be Ash."

"Yeah that's me. You must be May's mother."

"That right. I'm Caroline."

"Nice to meet you Caroline." he said and shook her hand. After a short silence she spoke.

"So I hear you became friends with my daughter. That's nice."

"Yeah it is. I didn't realize you were the family who moved into Richie's old house."

May blinked.

"Richie? Who's Richie?"

"An old childhood friend of mine. He moved out shortly before you moved in. Guess I should have figured it out from when May said you guys moved in yesterday. But it's nice to see I've got new good neighbors." he said with a smile and Caroline did the same.

"Same here Ash, same here. Maybe you two could get together sometime, since we live so close by."

"Yeah that sounds like fun." said Ash.

"We should arrange something sometime." said May.

"Yeah, we should." he said and then noticed it started getting dark.

"Well I guess I'd better get going. My mother is expecting me back at home. It was nice meeting you Mrs. Maple; see you tomorrow May." he waved and turned around.

"Bye." said May. It was after he was out of earshot that Caroline spoke.

"He's nice."

"That he is." she agreed.

"Mhmm…." Her mother echoed. After a few seconds she spoke.

"Alright let's go back inside I'm starting to feel cold…"

"I'm home!" said Ash.

"Hey Ash, how was your walk?"

"It was great. You wouldn't believe who moved into Richie's old place."

"Who?"

"May. We're neighbors now." he said with a smile.

"How about that? We should invite them for dinner sometime."

"Yeah that would be awesome…" said Ash.

"Yeah. Well go wash up. The stew is ready. You too Pikachu!" she said as the little family got ready for their family dinner…

To be continued…

Well believe it or not, a lot of this chapter was ad libbed but I guess it came out okay. This seems to be an interesting development. Ash and May live next to each other and the friendship is blooming. It is still unknown though to them if they see each other as more than friends though (to me as well). I guess we and they will have to find out as the story continues…

Stay tuned fellas and don't forget to leave a comment bellow so I will know what your opinion was.

See you around


	3. Chapter 3 school day

Chapter 3 school day

Ash woke up to the sound of his alarm clock at seven o'clock that morning. He went downstairs to eat some of his munchieflakes for breakfast. He then went to brush his teeth and get dressed. Since he had some extra time on his hands before school he watched some TV. Then his mother came downstairs.

"Good morning sweetie." she said.

"Morning Mom." he said as she kissed him on the forehead.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked.

"Great. How about you?"

"Same old. Good morning Pikachu." she beamed and scratched Pikachu between his ears as he cooed joyfully.

"Cha…"

"Mime! Mr. Mime!" came a voice. Ash chuckled.

"Good morning Mr. Mime."

"Mime! Mime!" cheered the creature as he waved the vacuum cleaner's hose in his hands. Then his eyes rested on Ash and Ash sweatdropped.

"Why is he looking at me like that?"

"Did you remember to wash your face this morning?"

"Yeah…"

"Well it looks like you missed a spot…" Delia trailed off.

"Oh no…" muttered Ash as Mr. Mime charged with a battle cry and placed the vacuum cleaner on Ash's face.

"Mmmm! Get him off me! Get him off me!" he yelled as Delia laughed wholeheartedly. She gently pulled Mr. Mime off her son's face.

"Come on Mimey, let him go."

"Mime!" he huffed and walked away. Ash sighed and shook his head.

"Clean freak." he muttered.

"What time is it?"

"It's seven thirty. You'd better get going."

"Right. I'm off." he said.

"See you in a few hours Mom."

"Not if I see you first." she said and with that he was out. Twenty minutes later, he was in Kanto elementary school and sat down in his seat. Before long his new friend showed up.

"Good morning Ash." said May.

"Hey May. Good morning." he said and gave her a fist bump.

"How you doing?" he asked.

"Same as yesterday. What are you up to?"

"Same old. I really liked your Torchik." He said.

"Thanks. I really like your Pikachu. He's so adorable."

Ash chuckled.

"Yeah. He's a keeper. So, how do you like the Kanto region?"

"It's nice. A little quitter than the Hoenn region."

"Where did you live in the Hoenn region before you moved here?"

"Petalburgh city. My dad was the gym leader there." Ash's eyes widened in shock.

"Your dad was a gym leader? That's so cool!"

May chuckled.

"Yeah it is pretty neat. He's trying to get an approval to build a gym in Pallet town."

"That would be awesome. There was never a gym in pallet town before."

"Really? How's that?"

He shrugged.

"I dunno. It's a very quiet town, so there's not much demand for it."

"Well that's not very encouraging." replied May.

"Yeah but I'm sure it'll be fine. There've been talks about it in the past, it's just never been done before."

"Well that's good to know." said May.

"What does your mother do?" asked Ash.

"She's a doctor. She's trying to apply for a job in Pallet town clinic."

"Great."

"What does your mother do Ash?"

"She's a gardener."

"That's nice. What does your father do?"

Ash fell silent and his face turned like stone. He broke eye contact with her and looked down sadly.

"Was it something I said?"

"No. it's just my father is no longer with us."

"What do you mean?"

"He died when I was seven. He was hit by a car."

May's face filled with sadness and sympathy.

"Oh Ash, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." she said and placed her hand on his. He blushed slightly yet it seemed to cheer him up.

"It's okay forget it." he said and looked up.

"Just don't tell anyone okay?" she smiled.

"Of course not." she said as they both seemed to relax a bit. They spent the next few minutes chatting till the teacher came in. A few hours later, it was lunch time and Ash sat next to his new friend in the cafeteria. He drank his juice and ate his sandwich with content. May was eating a sandwich was eggs in it and a salad while Ash had ate a peanut butter sandwich.

"What'ya got in your sandwich Ash?"

"Peanut butter. You want a bite?"

"No thanks, I'm allergic to peanuts."

"That's too bad."

"It's okay. I don't mind them much."

"What do they do to you?"

"They make me stop breathing."

"Yikes! That's scary. Did that ever happen to you?"

"Once. It was the scariest moment of my life. I don't want to go through that ever again."

"I don't blame you for that."

"Yeah…

After a short silence she asked

"Do you have any allergies?"

"Yeah I have an allergy to lettuce."

"That's interesting. I've never heard of something like that. What happens if you eat it?

"I stop breathing. Same as you." she smiled.

"What a coinkitdink. Looks like we're quite alike." she said and he chuckled.

"Yeah. Looks like it." he said and took another bite from his sandwich. Then the bell rang.

"Break's over." she said.

"See you in class." she add and walked off.

Before long school was over once again and was out for the weekend and now knowing they lived next to each other they walked home together. She chatted and laughed lightly as they walked. Finally, they reached May's house.

"Well I guess I'll see you next week." said May.

"Guess so. See you around May." he said and gave her a fist bump.

"Have a good weekend." he added.

"You too Ash." she smiled and they parted. He waved her goodbye and walked towards his house ready for a nice relaxing weekend after the first week of school…

To be continued…

Once again this was mostly ad libbed. Anyway I hope you guyes liked it and if you will leave a comment below so I will know what you thought I'd greatly appreciate it…

See you next time


	4. Chapter 4 get together

Chapter 4 get together

It was Saturday morning and Ash was watching TV. He was feeling a little bored though. Since it was the weekend he had a lot of free time on his hands. When the show he was watching ended he sighed and turned the television off. Then he had an idea. He took out his cell phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi May, it's Ash. What's up?"

"Oh hey Ash. How are you?"

"I'm okay. How's your weekend?"

"Boring. How's yours?"

"Funny you should ask because mine's boring too."

She laughed.

"Well do you want to hang out?"

"I was gonna ask you that. You wanna go see a movie?"

"Sure. What movie did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well I hear ploy story 2 is pretty good. It has the same voice actors as the first movie."

""That sounds fun. When is it playing?"

"There's a showing at twelve." said Ash.

"Sounds great. You wanna pick me up and we'll go together?"

"You got it. I'll be there at eleven. We could ride our bikes to the theater."

"Sounds good. See you soon Ash." said May and hung up.

"Going out on a date are we?" came a voice nearby which startled Ash. He turned around to see who it came from.

"Mom!" he moaned, his face red with embarrassment.

""Just kidding dear. I'm just not used to seeing you hanging out with girls."

"It's not a date Mom. It's just a hangout."

"Whatever you say dear. Do you have enough money?"

"Yeah I do."

"When is it showing?"

"Twelve."

"Then you better get ready. It's ten forty five."

"Right. I'm gonna go take a shower." he said and ran up the stairs leaving a dust cloud behind him. Before the dust settled Ash came downstairs all squeaky clean.

"What are you? Roadrunner?" asked Delia.

"Very funny Mom."

"Just kidding. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, see you later Mom." he said and went outside and rode his bike into the distance. The last thing Delia heard was his bike bell go

"Meep, meep!"

Before long Ash arrived at May's house and knocked on the door. May opened it and greeted her friend.

"Hey Ash come on in. I'm almost ready." she said and he came in. she looked herself in the mirror and combed her hair. She then put on a blue bandana with a white poke ball on it and turned to face him.

"Let's go." she said and took a pair of house keys and stuffed them in her pocket.

"I'm going!" she called out.

"Have fun dear!" came Caroline's voice from upstairs. They walked outside and rode their bikes towards Pallet town Movie Theater. Ash couldn't help but notice something about May, but couldn't figure out what it is. He did know he liked her new look but he couldn't figure out the rest. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey May?"

"Yeah?"

"I like your new bandana. It suits you."

She smiled as her cheeks turned slightly red.

"Thanks. It's really nice of you to say that."

"Don't mention it."

After a few seconds of silence Ash decided to break the ice.

"Oh and May?"

"Yeah?"

"Last one at the theater pays for the popcorn!" he teased and sped off into the distance.

"Oh no you don't!" she giggled and darted after him. It was a tight race, but in the end May won by a fraction of a second.

"HA! I win! Looks like you're paying for the popcorn, Ashy boy." she teased and stuck her tongue out to which he did the same thing. After the short banter, the two kids burst into laughter.

"Come on, May. Let's go in before the movie starts." he said and they ran to the ticket booth to get their tickets. Then, they went to the concession stand to get their drinks and popcorn, courtesy of Ash of course. They then walked into the theater and sat down. Ash sipped loudly out of his soda. May looked at him.

"Do you have to do that so loudly?"

"What are you gonna do about it May?"

May pulled his hat down.

"Dork." she muttered.

"Hey!" he protested and looked at her. They gazed at each other for a few seconds and then laughed out loud but were called to silence when the lights in the theater were dimmed and the movie started. About an hour and a half later they walked out of the theater happy as ever.

"That was a lot of fun." said May.

"Yeah it was great." said Ash.

"Ready to go home?" he asked.

"Ready when you are." she said and climbed onto her bike and they rode home. After a while they reached May house again and Ash escorted her to her door.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at school then." said Ash

"You bet. See you on Monday."

"Yeah." she said and hesitated as she turned around to leave.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?" he asked and turned around. To his surprise she walked up close to him and gave him a big hug to which he blushed like mad.

"Thanks for the movie and the popcorn. I had a good time." She said.

All Ash could do was stare. After a few seconds he regained his composure and smiled.

"Uh… yeah sure. You're welcome." he stuttered.

"Yeah… bye" she said and disappeared behind her door. Ash continued to stare at it for a seconds and then smiled. He walked back to his bike whistling to himself, more cheerful than ever…

To be continued…

So once again this was mostly ad libbed… aside from a general direction I have no idea what to do with this story. Anyway, as you can tell there is chemistry starting to build up between Ash and May but they don't realize it yet. How long will it take for them realize their emotions? Only time and money (just kidding) will tell.

Please review…

Peace out everyone…


	5. Chapter 5 allergy attack

Chapter 5 allergy attack

It was another day at school, Ash and May were sitting next to each other in class taking notes while the teacher spoke. At some point Ash whispered something in her ear, commenting on what the teacher said and she giggled playfully. The teacher turned around and glared at them and they fell silent. After a while the bell rang and they went to the cafeteria. This time they were gonna eat the school's food. So Ash bought himself a burger with some fries and a small salad while May ate the fish, rice and a different salad. They sat down together and dug in. at first they seemed to enjoy the food but when May took a bite out of her salad and swallowed it, things took a turn for the worst. She started gasping for air and brought her hand to her throat.

"May?" he looked at her with concern. He could see she was choking.

He hurried to get up and approached her.

"May are you okay? What's wrong?"

In between gasps she pointed at her plate and collapsed to the ground. He caught her before she banged her head on the cold floor. He took a look at her salad. He saw what he feared.

"Oh no, she ate peanuts. I gotta get her an allergy shot." he said firmly and darted out of the room, back to their class. When he got there, he took her pack and poured its contents onto the table and started rumbling through it.

"Come on where are you?... ah ha!" he said when he found a plastic syringe among the items scattered on her table and ran back to the cafeteria. He stopped with a screech near her, got down on his knees, removed the plastic seal and jabbed the syringe into her arm and pressed. Like a bursting dam, the air rushed into her lungs rapidly, causing her to hyperventilate. She slowly regained her oxygen supply before she stopped hyperventilating and went back to taking deep breaths till she fully relaxed. After a while she spoke.

"That was close. I thought I was a goner… who saved me? She asked.

"I did." came a voice. She looked up and sat up. It was Ash who spoke. She looked at him.

"You gave me the allergy shot?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yes."

She smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you Ash. You saved my life…"

He smiled back.

"You're welcome." he said and she smiled again and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek which made him blush like mad. Then, she fell into his arms and he brought her into a hug. He held for a while as she started to cry. He patted her back gently as she sobbed. After a few minutes, she was feeling better and pulled back and smiled at him.

"Thanks." she whispered.

"You're welcome." he said and they got up. She sighed heavily and pushed her food away.

Ash gave her a small carton.

"Here, have some of my juice." he said. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Thanks." she said softly and drank up. Those forty seconds of being air deprived made her very thirsty. She drank up and sighed. Then the coughing started. He patted on her back to try to help her a little bit.

"Maybe you should go home and rest." said Ash.

"I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You look a little ill"

"I'm fine Ash. Thank you for asking." she said, signaling the end of the conversation so Ash back off.

During the rest of the day, May continued to cough and seemed tired. Ash hoped it was because of the near suffocating incident mere hours earlier. When school was out, Ash volunteered to walk May home to which she protested but he stood his ground. As they were walking, she seemed really tired. So tired, they had to walk slowly so she could keep up with him. When they were a few minutes away from May's house, she collapsed.

"May!" he called out and kneeled beside her.

"May! Are you okay? Can you hear me?" he tried to shake her awake but to no avail. Realizing he had to take her home, he picked her up and carried her to her house on his back. When he reached her door, he rang the doorbell. A few seconds later her mother answered the door.

"Oh hello Ash, where's… oh my God, May!" she called when he saw her carry her on his back. He was called inside and he set her down on the couch.

"What happened?" asked Caroline.

"I don't know. She had an allergy attack today at lunch and I gave her an allergy shot. After that she acting sick all day."

"Sick how?"

"Mostly coughing and then tiredness"

"Oh I see…" said Caroline.

"Well aren't you gonna do something about it?" asked Ash.

"We have a neighbor who's a doctor so we could ask him to take a look at her but there's not much we can do. This tends to happen to her when she gets an allergy attack. It wipes her out."

Ash nodded.

"I see."

To his surprise Caroline placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I want to thank you for saving my daughter's life and helping her home. Norman and I are eternally grateful." she said warmly. He smiled at her.

"You're welcome. Send May, my best wishes when she wakes up."

"I will." said Caroline and he walked out and Caroline turned to tend to her sick daughter.

To be continued…

So things are getting more interesting. How sick is May? How will this affect how she sees him and how he sees her? Will it change anything?

Time will tell.

Please review…

Pease out…


	6. Chapter 6 concern

Chapter 6 concern

That afternoon, Ash seemed more gloomy than usual. He refused to tell his mother why and she seemed a little concerned. But he was more concerned. He remained mostly silent until the rest of the day until he went to sleep. The next morning he went to school expecting to see May's smiling face, happy as usual but she wasn't there. He sat down in his seat and waited for her to show up. When the bell rang and the teacher came in and read everybody's name and she wasn't there to answer her own, he lowered his head sadly. He usually enjoyed learning about Pokémon, but today, motivation has been sucked out of him. Nevertheless, he took his notes and did his classwork as usual. During lunch break he sat by himself. After a few minutes Joey showed up.

"Hey Ash." he said and sat down.

"Hi Joey." he said softly as he poked his fork at his peas and potatoes.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." he lied as he continued to play with his food.

"No you're not." said Joey. Ash looked up to face him. He sighed and put his fork down and leaned backwards in his seat.

"I'm worried about May." he said.

"May Maple?" he asked.

"Yes. She's not here today and yesterday she seemed a little sick after her allergy attack."

"I'm sure she's fine. Maybe she's just resting."

"I don't think so. When we were walking home yesterday she fainted. I had to carry her to her house." shared Ash. To his surprise Joey smiled.

"What?"

"You really care about May don't you?" asked Joey.

"Sure I do, she's my friend."

"You know what I mean Ash." insisted Joey.

Ash hesitated for a while before he answered, he sighed. Then he nodded.

"Yeah. I do…"

"Then tell her how you feel. You both seem to really like each other. Everybody else knows."

"They do?"

"Yes."

"Well that makes a little embarrassing."

"It doesn't have to be embarrassing at all. It seems mutual. I suggest you drop over at her place today to see how she feels."

"That's my plan. I was thinking of getting her a get well card as well."

"Sounds good. Just don't beat yourself up, Ash okay? It makes us all sad to see you this gloomy all day."

Ash smiled bitterly at him.

"Thanks Joey." he said.

"Don't mention it." he said and gave his old friend a fist bump and got up and left. During the rest of the day, Ash was feeling a little perkier but was still a little sad. After school was out, he stopped by the book store on his way home and bought his friend a get well soon card. He paid for the small gift and went outside to sit by the bench. He took out a pencil and scribbled a small message in there.

 _"Dear May,_

 _Sorry to hear you're still sick. I hope you feel better soon and come back to us with your nice smile. We miss you._

 _Your friend,_

 _Ash."_

He closed the card and stuffed it in his pocket. He then walked towards May's house. When he got there, he knocked softly on the door. Caroline answered.

"Hello Ash, how are you?"

"I'm okay. How's May?"

"Not so good. The allergy attack gave her a fever and a sore throat so she's been spending most of her time lying in bed."

Ash's face filled with sympathy.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she'll get better soon."

"Thanks Ash. I'll deliver your message."

"Actually I was hoping you could deliver this card for me." he said and took the card out of his pocket and gave to the lady. Caroline looked at the card and smiled. She looked at him.

"You really care about my daughter don't you?" she smiled. He blushed and looked down. She chuckled.

"Don't worry I won't tell her. I'll give her the card when she wakes up. I'm sure she'll be happy to receive it."

He nodded.

"Thank you Mrs. Maple."

"You're welcome." she said and he turned to leave but she stopped him.

"Hey, Ash." she said and he turned around.

"Yeah?"

"My daughter is a one of a kind person. You shouldn't let her slip by you like that." she implied. He thought about her words for a while, then nodded and walked away…

To be continued…

So things are really heating up with Ash and May. What's gonna happen? Stay tuned to find out...

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	7. Chapter 7 mute love

Chapter 7 mute love

If Ash felt a little perkier after his chat with Joey, now he was feeling sad again. As soon as he came home, he marched up to this room and concealed himself in it, making his mother all the more concerned. She wanted to help and to know what happened, but she'll need some help. She opened the family phonebook and took out her son's class contact list. Finally she found what she was looking for. She picked up the cordless phone she kept in the kitchen and dialed the said number and sat down.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Maple?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"This is Delia Ketchum. I'm Ash's mom, he goes to school with your daughter, May."

"Oh hello Mrs. Ketchum, how are you?" she asked, her voice sounding a little distant making Delia all the more concerned.

"I've had worse days. Listen, the reason why I'm calling you is because Ash seemed very upset and concerned over the last few days. I know he and your daughter became good friends very quickly but he wouldn't tell me what's wrong. I wanted to know if maybe you could help me clear things up a bit. Did they have a fight or something?"

Caroline sighed.

"Actually, your son saved my daughter's life."

Delia blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"My daughter had an allergy attack the other day and her allergy syringe wasn't in immediate range, so he ran to their class to get it and gave it to her in time. Thankfully, she was saved but he said she wasn't feeling well after that for the rest of the day and she fainted when he walked her home. He carried her into the house after that."

Ignoring her son's nobility and heroism for the moment, Delia pressed on.

"Well is she okay now? What is she allergic to?"

"Peanuts."

"What do they do to her?"

"They stop her from breathing."

"Oh my Gosh…" muttered Delia. After a short silence, Caroline spoke.

"You should be very proud of your son Mrs. Ketchum."

"Thank you. He's like his father."

"Well I'm sure you both are very proud of him."

Delia's lip quivered at her late husband's memory. After a few second she sighed to regain her composure.

"Well thank you for filling in the blanks Mrs. Maple. I hope your daughter gets better soon."

"Thanks Mrs. Ketchum. Be sure to thank Ash again for me and tell him not to be so worried. May's gonna be fine. All she needs is some rest."

"I will. Thanks."

"Bye." said Caroline and hung up. Delia put the phone down and sighed as she leaned on the table.

"Poor girl…" she said.

Delia gave Ash a little more time to be by himself and then she walked up to his room to check on him. She knocked softly.

"Ash?" she said gently.

"What is it Mom?" came a groggy voice. She opened it to see Ash lying on his bed with his back to her. Pikachu was curled in a ball in front of him, trying to be of some comfort.

"How do you feel honey?" she asked and approached him.

"I'm fine." He lied.

"Come on, Ash. We both know that's not true." She said and sat down beside him. He sighed.

"I spoke to Mrs. Maple." began Delia.

"Yeah?"

"She told me how you saved May and helped her into her house. That was very kind of you." she said. She could see Ash smile faintly.

"Thanks Mom." He said.

"So why the long face?" she asked.

"Because I'm worried about her."

"I spoke to her mother. She said she should be fine and she just needs to rest, so chin up, okay? You saved her life and helped her get home, you should be proud of yourself. Let her mother and father do the rest, okay?" she said and placed her hand on his chin.

"Sure." he said.

"Tell you what, I'm gonna make you your favorite dishes for supper okay? Hot chicken soup and potato pie. How does that sound?" she beamed and he turned around to give her a small genuine smile.

"Thanks Mom." He said and she smiled back, glad that he plan worked.

"You're welcome dear." She said and leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. Feeling a little perkier, Ash sat up and placed Pikachu in his lap and rubbed him behind the ears as he continued to sleep. That evening, he was feeling a little better. The next morning, he decided to make another visit to May's house. He took his notes as usual and by the end of the day, he photocopied his notes from the last few days and placed them in his pack. Then he walked back to his old neighborhood and knocked on May's door. Once again Caroline answered.

"Hello Ash. How are you today?" she asked him.

"I'm okay. I came over to give May my notes from class, so she could stay on top of things."

She smiled.

"That's really sweet of you. Come on in. I'm sure she would be glad to receive them in person. Just know, she lost her voice she will be talking to you through sign language." She said and stepped aside to let him in.

"Well okay." He said and entered her house for the third time. He saw his friend sitting on the rug in the living room with her back against the couch reading a book. She heard him when he approached her. She looked up and smiled.

 _"Ash"_ she mouthed and got up and embraced him in a hug. Caroline smiled at the sight. Knowing the two would want some privacy, she walked upstairs to the second floor. Ash sat down in front of her.

"How do you feel May?" he asked kindly and she did this movement with her hands and face which meant.

"Could be better"

Ash nodded with sympathy. He then took out the notes from his backpack.

"I got you my notes from class, so you won't fall behind." He said and presented them to her. She took them from him and smiled. She brought him into a hug and once separated she mouthed.

 _"Thank you"_

"You're welcome" he said kindly. Then there was silence. May blushed slightly and fidgeted around a little bit. She signaled him with her fingers to come closer and he did. His face was mere inches away from hers and she slowly closed the gap between them and leaned in for their first kiss. The kiss seemed to send shivers down their spines and it felt like fireworks were going on inside their mouths. They felt numb and goosebumps at the same time as shivers of powerful electricity went down their spines, numbing their minds into oblivion. May placed her arms around Ash's waist as he placed his around her neck. Finally when they broke apart she whispered in his ear with the little voice she had for only him to hear.

 _"I like you Ash. A lot. Would you be my boyfriend?"_ Ash smiled and kissed her tenderly on the lips once more and whispered in her ear so no can hear.

 _"Absolutely. And I like you too…"_ he said and they embraced once more and he sat down beside her in front of the couch with his arm around her shoulder and their heads leaning on each other…

To be continued…

So, love has finally blossomed between the two of them. This should be good. I think I outdid myself with the amount of cuteness and how heartfelt this chapter was. Especially the last part of it. Anyway I hope you liked it, and if you would leave a review I would greatly appreciate it...

Peace out…


	8. Chapter 8 letting it sink

Chapter 8 letting it sink

Ash returned home feeling kind of dizzy and lightheaded. The whole kissing and girlfriend thing kinda put him in a state of shock. He opened the door and walked in, zombie like towards the couch and stared blankly at the TV which wasn't even on.

"Ash?" came Delia's voice.

"Ash are you okay?" she asked and approached him. All he could respond with was a faint

"Uh huh…" with a vague nod of his head. Delia put down the plate she was wiping and approached him.

"Ash, what's going on?"

Suddenly Ash had a goofy smile on his face and he started laughing in a silly way. Delia put her hand on his forehead in concern and found no fever.

"Did you catch May's virus?" she asked. He shook his head while continuing to stare blankly at the wall. It was then that she noticed the blushes on his cheeks and then she realized it. She smiled.

"Did you kiss her?"

Suddenly Ash jerked up.

"What? No! Whatever gave you that idea?" he asked in panic. Delia chuckled.

"Oh Ash, you're growing up so fast…" she said and brought him into a hug.

"Yeah Mom…" he muttered.

Then she separated and pointed a finger at him.

"But I want you to treat her well okay?"

He looked at her.

"Of course Mom. Why wouldn't I?"

"Just a reminder dear." she said and patted him on his cheek and walked off…

Meanwhile, May was still sitting where she was when Ash found her and was staring at the pages of her book where she left off, but she couldn't read it. She found herself staring at the same spot for more than an hour but her mind was someplace else. It was with Ash. She kept rehearsing in her mind the events that transpired a wee hour earlier. She finally confessed to him about how she felt and she was delighted to hear he felt the same way. But the kiss… wow… she felt elated by it and she was feeling fuzzy all over just thinking about it, or him for that matter. Like what such a nice guy he is, or how he's been so sweet to her, or how he saved her life, or how he carried her into her house after she passed out the other day, or how…

"Hey May?" came a voice. May's thoughts stopped mid track and started repeating the last few sentences in her head like a broken record.

"May…" came the voice again but she didn't register it.

"Come on May snap out of it." said the voice and extended a hand to shake her out of her trance.

"Huh?" she voiced and looked up.

"Mom?" she whispered in her still hoarse voice.

"Are you okay May? You were just sitting there with a goofy grin on your face. Your cheeks are red too. Are you getting a fever?"

Her blush intensified. She shook her head wildly while playing with her fingers.

"No, I'm fine." she lied and Caroline smirked. She sat down beside her.

"It happened didn't it?"

"What?"

"You and Ash. You finally confessed your feelings for each other."

May blushed even harder.

"How… how did you know?"

"What you think I can't tell when my daughter has a crush?" she smiled at her.

"You don't mind?" she asked.

"Not at all, as long as he treats you with respect. He clearly really cares about you and values you as a friend. I think you're in good hands."

May smiled.

"Thank you Mom…" she said and brought her mother into a hug.

"You're welcome dear." She said and walked off.

The young couple spent the rest of the day spacing out and mulling over what happened, while all the while, blushing and having that goofy smile on their faces. Before bed, Ash sent his new girlfriend a text with the words

"Good night."

After a few minutes she responded with the same. A few minutes later he sent her an imogi of a smiley blowing a kiss and she replied with one giving a hug. Both satisfied with their mutual exchange of affection and romance, they put their phones down and went to sleep, happy to be a couple…

To be continued…

Well there's chapter 8. Sorry about the long wait, I've been pretty busy. Anyway I hope you guys liked it.

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	9. Chapter 9 going back to school

Chapter 9 going back to school

It was Monday morning and Ash was sitting in class waiting for school to start. Before long the class started to fill up with students and he began to worry, he won't be seeing his friend today; or should he say girlfriend?

"Hey Ash." came a voice. He turned around and saw her. He smiled with joy.

"May. How do you feel?" he asked and walked towards her and held her hand.

"Much better thanks; and thanks again for the notes. You're a real life saver."

"You're welcome May." He said and they shared a smile and leaned in for a kiss but then…

"Ahem." someone interrupted them and they looked towards the source of the noise and saw their teacher Mrs. Peach looking at them.

"Morning." She said shrewdly.

"Morning Mrs. Peach." they said bashfully, their face full of blush.

"Care to tell me what's going on?" she asked.

Ash fumbled to come up with an answer but couldn't.

"Uh… well I… I…"

May filled in for him.

"Well you see Mrs. Peach, Ash, and I are sort of…"

"Dating?" she finished for her.

"Yes. Dating"

"Good. As long as you keep to yourselves and low key you have my approval."

"Thank you Mrs. Peach." said May but when the teacher looked away, she rolled her eyes. Ash leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"As if we need her approval to be a couple. It's not like she's our parent or that it's any of her business."

May giggled but nevertheless, whispered back.

"She's still a figure of authority around here. She can have a say in this…"

"If you say so. Nerd…" teased Ash and she huffed and gave him a little shove as they both laughed it off and sat down. During class, the young couple took their notes as usual but their heads seemed a little bit in the clouds. They were writing with one hand and holding hands with the other hand. People around seemed to notice but did not say anything. During lunch break, they ate some home cooked food and after school was out, they headed home together while holding hands. Once they arrived at her house, he walked her to her door and saw her off. She waved him goodbye and he walked off. When he came home, he walked towards the couch, fell on it, and hugged one of the pillows.

"I feel so awesome…," he muttered. Pikachu came scampering in form the back yard and seemed a little confused at his trainer's unusual behavior.

"Pi?" he asked but he did not respond.

"Pika! Pika Pi…" he said and tried to tug at his trainer's arm but he would not respond as he had swirls in his eyes. Pikachu took a good look at him, sat on his chest, and sighed as he went to sleep on Ash's chest, while Ash was unconscious; unconscious from happiness…

To be continued….

So this is just something I whiffed up along the way. Hope you liked it.

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	10. Chapter 10 first date

Chapter 10 first date

A few days after becoming a couple, Ash approached May during recess.

"Hey May." He said. She looked up from her juice carton.

"Hey Ash. Come have a seat." She said and made room for him to sit down and they both ate their lunch.

"History class was really boring today…," said Ash.

"I know. If I hear Mr. Wilson talk about Columbus again, I'll eat my bandana." Muttered his girlfriend. He smirked at her.

"Don't. It looks nice on you."

She blushed and stroked her hair slightly.

"Oh. Thanks Ash…" she said nervously.

"Sure." She said.

"Yeah…" she said nervously, her gaze shifting around nervously.

"So…" began Ash.

"Tomorrow is Saturday. I was thinking you and I could go eat some ice cream. You want to come?"

Her face turned scarlet red.

"I… Is this a date?"

Ash blushed too. He stammered a little bit.

"Uh…. Y... yes… yes it is a date…" he said and her blush intensified.

Sensing her embarrassment, he added.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to of course…"

She shook her head with her hands balled up as fists in front of her.

"No. I'd love to go eat ice cream with you. It's just that… I've never gone on a date before…"

"Nor have I May. Just go with it." He reassured her.

She sighed softly, her blush subsiding a bit.

"You're right. I'll just take it easy from here on."

"That's the spirit. So how does two o'clock sound?"

"Two o'clock it is." She said and smiled nervously at him.

"Good. I'll come pick you up then." He said and they both smiled. Ash said one more thing before he got up.

"Oh and May?"

"Yeah?"

"You look cute when you blush…" he teased her and her face filled with crimson red again. She slapped his arm slightly.

"Oh shut up you big meanie…" she muttered as Ash laughed and she soon followed.

That day, during class, the young couple tried to keep quite during their lessons but couldn't help but whisper a few words in each other's ear every now and then, earning them a scolding from the teacher. After school, they walked each other home holding hands. When they reached May's house they parted with a small hug and May went inside. Ash then turned around and walked back towards his house.

That night both kids had a hard time falling asleep. When they finally did, they fell into a peaceful slumber.

The next morning, the two kids got ready for their get together. Ash took a shower and tried combing his hair; a task that was doomed to fail. May put on her usual outfit only it was blue and put on some perfume. Just as she was adjusting her hair and bandana, Ash rang the doorbell to her house.

"Coming!" she called out and ran to open the door.

"Hey Ash, come on in. I'll be ready in a moment." She said, as she looked herself in the mirror again, then picked up her keys and stuffed them in her pocket.

"I'm going!" she called out.

"Have fun dear! Don't stay out too late." called Caroline from the kitchen, and they left the house. As soon as they were out, May grabbed Ash by his hand and started pulling him by the arm.

"Come on Ash. I can't wait to try the new flavor they have…" she said in a cheerfully bubbly voice as Ash struggled to keep up with the pace, hoping she won't tear his arm off.

A short fifteen minutes later Ash and May were looking at the display of ice cream at the local parlor. May sighed in frustration.

"Oh… it all looks so good… I don't know which one to pick…"

"Why don't you choose the cookie dough? I eat it here all the time, it's delicious."

"Whatever you say, you're the local." shrugged May in agreement. Ash turned to the man working in the shop.

"Two cones with cookie dough please." He said.

"Okay, that'll be four dollars." He said and Ash gave the man a five-dollar bill and gave the boy his change and two ice cream cones. While this exchange was going on May was looking for the money in her pocket but couldn't find it.

"Here's your ice cream May. Better eat it before it melts." Said Ash and presented it to her.

"But I need to pay him."

"It's okay. I paid for you." He said with a smile. She froze and blinked. She rose her gaze to look at him. She smiled warmly at him.

"Ash that's so sweet. You didn't have to do that."

"Don't sweat it May. Here's your ice cream." He said with a smile and handed her a biscuit cone with ice cream in it. They munched on their ice cream silently as the end of summer breeze blew in their faces. When they were done, Ash walked her home again. When they reached her front door, May turned to face him.

"Thanks for today Ash, I had a great time." She smiled at him, one that he returned.

"You're welcome." She said and she leaned forwards too kiss him on the cheek, making him blush and freeze upon contact. She broke apart and peered into his eyes with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Now we're even, Ashy boy." She said. All he could do was stare at her, his face a deep shade of red. She laughed. She gave him a small peck on the lips.

"Next time, I'm paying for the ice cream…," she said and all he could respond with was a soft

"Uh huh…" he nodded.

"Bye, bye…" she said cheerfully and disappeared behind the door leaving Ash on her front porch frozen with a dumb expression on his face. Only after a few minutes, did he come to his senses and grin from ear to ear. He laughed as he walked home.

"Alright! My first date…," he said and chuckled, While Caroline observed him from her kitchen window and then glanced at her daughter cooing happily as she sat on the couch hugging one of the pillows. She chuckled to herself.

"Kids will be kids…," she said to herself and got back to her tea…

To be continued…

So there it is. Hope you guys liked it.

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	11. Chapter 11 ice skating

Chapter 11 ice skating

It was winter now and the holiday season was right around the corner. Ash and his friends couldn't wait for Christmas as all kids do. A few days before Christmas Eve it snowed heavily in the Kanto region and temperatures went down lower than usual. And so it was that five days before Christmas, Pallet Town was snowed in which meant the lake has likely frozen too. This gave Ash an idea. That evening, he called May to see if she wants to hang out.

"Hello?" came her cute voice from the other side of the line.

"Hey May." Said Ash, cheerful as usual.

"Oh hi Ash. What's up?"

"Well let me think…." Said Ash, while rubbing his chin and pretending to be deep in thought.

"I'd say there's a lot of clouds. But you already know that…" he teased her and she laughed.

"Always the wisecracker Ashy boy." She teased him back, making him blush at the nickname. She knew it made him blush, which is why she enjoyed doing it so much. Ash tried to regain his composure.

"So listen May, the whole town is snowed in and that means the lake is probably frozen too. You wanna go ice skating?"

Now it was May's turn to go a deep shade of red.

"You… you mean like a date?"

Ash paused for a moment.

"I haven't thought of it that way but I guess you could call it that…" he said with a blush of his own.

May smiled coyly from her side of the line.

"Well in that case, I'd love too."

"Great. I'll pick you up in half an hour then." He said.

"Okie dokie." She said cheerfully.

"See you in a bit then."

"Not if I see you first." She teased jokingly and hung up.

Ash spent the next half our getting ready and putting on some winter clothes. He packed his ice skaters in a small bag, said goodbye to his mother and walked out. He shivered slightly.

"Oh… it's cold…" he muttered.

Soon he was by May's house. He knocked slightly on the door and was once again greeted by Caroline.

"Hello Ash, how are you?"

"I'm okay. How are you Mrs. Maple?"

"I'm fine thank you. Come on in before you freeze." She said and stepped aside to let him in.

Ash was suddenly consumed by warmth and heat. He walked into the kitchen where he was greeted by May, tying her shoelaces.

"Hey Ash." She said cheerfully and brought him into a hug which he returned. Then he noticed there was someone else in the room.

"Hello, you must be Ash." Said the man.

"Yeah, that's me." He said.

"I'm Norman, May's father." He said and shook the boy's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Norman."

"Pleasure to meet you too. May has been talking a lot about you."

Ash could feel the blush seep to his face.

"You have?"

"Yep. She says you're really kind and sweet and you tried to look after her when she had her allergy attack…"

"Dad!" moaned May, both embarrassed by her father's teasing. Norman chuckled.

"Just kidding sweetie. Have fun you two but don't stay out too long okay? We don't want to catch a cold right?" he said and winked.

"Sure thing." Said Ash. Then he turned to his girlfriend.

 _"Gosh it's gonna take a while getting used to calling her that…"_ he thought.

"Ready to go May?"

"Ready when you are."

"Alright, let's go then." He said and they walked towards the entrance. When they reached the door, Ash and opened it for her.

"Ladies first." He said and gestured with his hand. She blushed all the way to the roots of her hair.

"Well… thanks Ash…" she said sheepishly as he smirked.

"I saw that in a movie once and I always wanted to do it…"

She laughed as they walked out the door.

"You're such a gentlemen Ash…"

"Why thank you Miss." He said in a fake formal voice as the door closed behind them. Norman and Caroline could hear her laughter followed by his own as they stepped away from the house. They smirked at each other at the cuteness of the situation as they drank some hot tea.

"That was cute." Said Caroline.

"Yeah it was. I wish all love stories stayed this innocent…"

She laughed.

"Yeah but you wouldn't have it any other way right?" she teased and he chuckled.

"Nah." He said and took another sip of his tea.

Meanwhile Ash and May were walking towards Pallet Town Lake. They were consumed by embarrassment. They were still trying to get used to the whole situation and were too embarrassed to be holding hands at this point. So they just walked in closer proximity to each other than usual in silence. Finally, they reached the lake. Luckily for them, no one else was around so they had some privacy. They took their shoes off and put on their ice skaters. Once they were worn and tied, it was time to skate. They paced carefully towards the lake and started skating across it. First together, then they split into opposite directions and started going round in circles until they met up again. They continued skating like that in various variations. Soon the clouds were clearing up and the moon was partially revealed to them. They skated towards each other and into one's embrace. The hug sent both physical and emotional warmth into their hearts and bodies. They skated together in each other's arms, across the lake, in circles, then in diagonal and any other direction their hearts desired. Finally they stopped at the center to catch their breath. Then their eyes met. They could see each other's cheeks were red as a rose, and not just from the cold. They could feel themselves being pulled by an invisible string, determined to have their faces make contact and their brains were powerless to stop it, because they were being pulled by the strings of their heart.

Finally, their lips made contact for their most romantic kiss yet. Ash put his right hand on her shoulder as she put her hand on the back of his neck. They kissed softly but lovingly as much as their little hearts could allow. Finally they broke apart slowly and peered into each other's arms and smiled sweetly but coyly. They leaned their heads on each other, as May's hands slowly moved for his own as they held hands for the first time and stood like that, sweetly enjoying each other's company and the bliss of this moment, as the moon was soon covered behind the clouds once more…

To be continued…

So there it is…

Sorry it took so long to update. I've been meaning to update this for a long time but I've had a bad case of writer's block in general and not just with this story. I have a lot on my mind lately so I apologize for the long wait. But I hope it was worth it for you.

As always reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	12. Chapter 12 hot chocolate

Chapter 12 hot chocolate

Ash and May continued to stand there for a while in each other's embrace. They basked in the moment and each other's company. Soon, they were starting to feel cold again. They didn't feel like ice-skating anymore, so they decided to go home. They skated to the edge of the frozen lake, while holding hands and then separated them when they reached the river bank and knelled down to put their shoes back on. Once they did and had their ice skaters packed away in a bag, they got up, reached for each other's hand and walked home. They were still feeling cold though. On the way home, Ash noticed May shiver slightly from the cold. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder to try and warm her up. She blushed deeply at the gesture but appreciated it nonetheless. When they were near Ash's house, he spoke.

"Hey May, do you wanna come in for a bit and have some hot chocolate? I think we could both use it."

She smiled warmly at him.

"I'd like that." She said and he smiled in return.

Shortly afterwards, they reached his house. He opened the front door and held it open for her as she walked in. She smiled sweetly at the gesture, trying to hide her blush. He closed the door and hung his coat on the hanger as she followed suite. He then walked into the kitchen and prepared some hot chocolate for the both of them. They stood there in silence as he prepared it. Soon the water boiled, he added some milk and gave her a mug buzzing with the warmth of the hot water.

"Thank you." She said sweetly and he smiled in return. They walked to the living room and sat on the couch in front of the TV.

They didn't say much, but on the other hand, they didn't feel like there was much of a need for words. Them simply sitting in each other's embrace, while drinking hot chocolate, was more than enough. Finally May spoke

"Thanks for taking me out Ash. I had a good time."

"Me too." He said and looked at her. By doing so, he started the inevitable. Their eyes and gaze locked onto each other, the blush began to seep to their faces and they were slowly, once again drawn towards each other, as if pulled by an invisible string. Finally, their lips touched for the second time that evening. This time, it was a tender, small kiss. Ash had his hand on her shoulder and she had hers on his palm. Finally they parted and peered into each other's eyes and smiled. They kissed once more briefly and then leaned back against the couch again with their arms around each other's shoulders as they gradually finished their hot chocolate…

To be continued…

So, there's another chapter out of the way. I know this one was short but I hope you like it nonetheless. Hopefully the next chapter will be about May and her family coming over to Ash's house for Christmas Dinner, which would probably make it longer. If not then, then the one after that. So stay tuned fellas. After all… it's the most romantic time of the year…

Reviews are most welcome…


	13. Chapter 13 Christmas Eve

Chapter 13 Christmas Eve

After cuddling up on the sofa some more, it was time to go home. So Ash led May to the door and walked her home. When they reached her front door, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll see you later Ash." She said and he smiled at her as she walked in. He stood there for a moment, then smiled for himself and walked home.

The next morning, Ash came up to his mother.

"Hey Mom?"

"Yes Ash?"

He blushed and fidgeted a little.

"Well… since Christmas is in a few days, I was thinking… would it be okay if May and her family would come over for Christmas Eve Dinner? They're still relatively new to the neighborhood so I thought we could have them over."

She smiled at him.

"That's very sweet of you Ash. I'd love to have them over for Christmas Dinner. I would also like to meet this mystery girl of yours…" she finished slyly which made him blush. She laughed.

"I'm just teasing you Ash. Can you call them and invite them over?"

"Sure Mom." He said and walked out of the room.

He walked up to his room and shut the door. He sat on his bed and took out his phone from his pocket and dialed May's number. As he was waiting for her to pick up, Pikachu lay down on his lap and Ash started rubbing him behind his ears. Suddenly, May answered.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey May." He said.

"Hey Ash, what's up?"

Ash blushed at this.

"Well, I was thinking… since it's almost Christmas and you and your family are still new to the neighborhood, I thought maybe you guys would like to come over for Christmas Dinner…"

Unbeknownst to him, May smiled on the other side of the line.

"I'd love to Ash, but I need to ask my parents first. Can you hold on a sec?"

"Sure." Said Ash and waited for May to return. He could hear sounds of running down the stairs and assumed May was in her room when he called. He could hear some chatter in the background, followed by a cheerful squeal and knew what the answer was based on May's reaction.

She darted up the stairs and spoke into the phone again before making it to the top.

"Hey Ash, guess what? We're coming over for Christmas dinner!" she said excitedly. He smiled warmly.

"That's wonderful. Six o'clock then?" he suggested.

"Six it is." She said sweetly.

"Great. I'll see you soon then." He said happily.

"Not if I see you first." She said and with a giggle, she hung up the phone.

Ash cheered under his breath.

"Ha, ha… alright…" he said happily. This got Pikachu's attention and he sat up.

"Pi? Pika?"

Ash smirked at him.

"Haven't you heard? May is coming over for Christmas Dinner!" announced Ash and Pikachu cheered with delight.

"Pika!" he beamed and Ash stated to rub his chin, causing them both to roll in laughter.

The next few days went by slowly. The two kids could not wait to see each other again for Christmas Eve. Sure enough, the time has arrived.

Ash's house was buzzing with activity and the house was filled with delicious aromas. Delia, really outdid herself this time. There were smells of a roasted turkey stuffed with potatoes and ground beef, potato pie, pumpkin pie, steamed rice and various other things of the sort. Soon it was dark and it was almost six o'clock. At six o'clock precisely, the doorbell rang and Ash ran to open it. At the entrance stood the Maple family. In front of him stood Norman and Caroline and of course, their daughter and his girlfriend, May. He smiled warmly at her. She looked beautiful this evening. She was wearing a light blue dress with a royal blue ribbon near the collar and a yellow flower in her hair along with a coat over it. Ash could feel his cheeks turn red in seconds.

She giggled at his reaction while sporting her own blush.

"Well? Aren't you gonna invite us in Ash?"

It took Ash a while to snap out of his trance.

"Hmm…? Oh yeah, sorry. Come in guys." He beamed happily and stood aside to let them in. May smiled sweetly at him as she passed by him, while her parents watched them, finding the scene rather cute indeed. Once the introductions were made and gifts were exchanged, they sat by the living room for a while before eating. The adults, talked about various things, while Ash and May sat beside each other with a blush. Seeing how beautiful she looked in her dress, Ash had to say something.

"You look beautiful in that dress May. More than usual I mean."

Her face turned a deeper shade of crimson red at his words but smiled shyly at him with a small smile.

"Thanks Ash. You look great too…" she said softly. Now it was his turn to blush. Ash had forgotten that he also was dressed up for the evening, so returning the compliments was in order. He was wearing dark blue pants and button down shirt along with black shoes to go with it.

May laughed slightly at his reaction to her compliment. Soon he joined the fun. They sat there for a while, smiling warmly at each other while looking at each other's eyes.

Soon it was time to eat. After the grace was made and everything was set, they began with a hot bowl of chicken soup. It was most delicious indeed.

After some time Delia spoke.

"So when did you guys move in from the Hoenn region?"

"Just before the start of the year." Said Caroline.

"What's it like there?"

"Very sunny. A lot of green."

"Sounds lovely. I deal in gardening, if you want I could help you set up a wonderful yard." Smiled Delia.

"That sounds lovely. I'll be sure to let you know if I need any help. Thank you Mrs. Ketchum."

Delia pretended to huff.

"Oh please… don't call me Mrs. Ketchum. Delia is just fine."

"Okay, Delia."

After a brief silence, Norman asked

"How long have you lived in Pallet town Delia?"

"Oh I was born and grew up here. So was Ash." She said and Norman nodded.

Worrying he might ask about her late husband, Delia tried change the subject and asked.

"So I hear you're trying to open up a gym here. Any success with that?"

"Possibly. I spoke to Professor Oak. He said he might be able to help and my wife Caroline recently started working as a doctor at Pallet Town clinic." Delia smiled.

"Lovely." She said and soon silence fell upon them. Everyone could tell that May's parents wanted to ask about Ash's father. But seeing as he clearly wasn't around and Delia wasn't talking about him, they thought better than to ask. But Delia could sense their tension and dilemma so she decided to speak up and get it over with.

"My husband used to run a Pokémon Day Care center. He loved Pokémon…" said Delia with a slightly broken voice. Notes of sadness and longing were evident in her voice.

May gulped and looked at Ash and saw the smile was gone from his face. She placed her hand on his palm for support. This made him smile a little and he made sure she saw it and knew it was a smile of gratitude and appreciation. Finally after a few seconds, May glanced towards her parents, who seemed temporarily stunned.

Caroline tried to speak up.

"I… I'm terribly sorry Delia. I didn't realize…" she couldn't find the words to finish her sentence. Delia brushed it off.

"It's okay. Forget it."

"May I ask when he passed on?"

"Five years ago." Came a voice but it wasn't Delia's. It was Ash's. May could see a sad emptiness laying behind his eyes. It pained her to see him like that and she wanted to help.

"Well, I know this doesn't mean much, but I'm sure he's happy and proud of you both for staying happy even after what happened." She said kindly. Delia smiled at her.

"Thank you May. That's very sweet." She said and May nodded. She turned to look at Ash. He smiled warmly at her. The sadness and emptiness nearly gone from his eyes, filled and replaced with gratitude and appreciation.

 _"Thank you…"_ he whispered, happy she got them out of that situation. She smiled sweetly at him.

 _"You're welcome…"_ she said softly and his smile broadened. He leaned forward and planted a soft yet quick kiss on her cheek and smiled at her and she smiled too, making everyone go 'aww….' At the adorable sight.

Soon afterwards, the conversation was light and happy again. They sang some Christmas carols and stuffed their bellies with the best food around.

Soon it was getting late, and it was time to go home. They helped Delia clear up the table and soon it was time to go home. They escorted them to the door to say goodbye. Before they did, Ash gave May a warm, loving hug.

 _"Thanks again for helping me out earlier…"_ he whispered to her. She smiled to him and pecked him on the cheek.

 _"You're welcome."_ She said warmly and they parted. Then they noticed it. Mistletoe. They gulped and looked at each other's eyes again, both faces flushed with embarrassment. They moved closer, inch by inch, as their lips slowly made contact. They kissed softly but lovingly, as Ash placed his right hand on May's shoulder and she held his other hand in her own. Soon afterwards, the kiss was over and they parted and looked at each other and smiled. With a giggle, they kissed once more and went for a last hug before saying goodbye for the night. Ash stood there watching her as she slowly walked away until she was out of view. Then he closed the door and let out a content sigh. He walked back towards the kitchen where his mother was.

She smiled at him.

"She's a real keeper Ash…" she said, teasing him slightly, making him blush like mad.

"Mom…" he groaned.

"Just kidding dear. Now are you gonna help your mom out with the dishes, or your just gonna stand there all night?" she asked and he smiled with a soft chuckle, glad things were back to normal and that the ice has broken, as he motioned to help her out with the dishes…

To be continued…

So there's a nice happy one and a longer one as promised. Hope you guys liked it. I would like to apologize though for the downer where they talk about Ash's dad. I originally planned for May's parents to get the hint and leave it alone, but I felt they needed to know what happened to him. So I decided to bite the bullet and establish it as gently as I could and move on with the story. Also I know that in the date I'm publishing this chapter, it already is Christmas Eve, but in the story timeline, it's a little before. So I just wanted to explain that.

As always reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


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